The Encyclopedia of Arda - an interactive guide to the world of J.R.R. Tolkien
Dates
Specifically recorded during the War of the Ring of III 3019, but the Huorns of Fangorn dated back through the ages
Location
Emerging from Fangorn Forest; travelled to Isengard and the Deeping-coomb
Race
Huorns under the leadership of the Ents
Other names
Huorn-dark

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About this entry:

  • Updated 16 June 2016
  • This entry is complete

Shadow of the Wood

The darkness spread by the Huorns

It was within the power of the Ents to awaken many of the trees under their keeping, and when they did so, those trees could move across the landscape. This happened during the War of the Ring, when trees out of Fangorn Forest took part in the assault on Isengard and came to the aid of the defenders of Helm's Deep.

When the trees moved, they were shrouded in a deep darkness, somewhere between a mist and a shadow. These trees were known as Huorns, and the shadow that followed them was the Huorn-dark. Saruman, who suffered defeat from these beings, gave the darkness of the Huorns a different and more ominous name: the Shadow of the Wood.

The nature of the Shadow is unclear, but it was evidently significant. Saruman went so far as to ascribe it a limited kind of agency, saying of the Shadow: '...it is wayward, and senseless, and has no love for Men.' (The Two Towers III 10, The Voice of Saruman). This was part of an attempt to sway the Men of Rohan with dire warnings, so these words may simply have been lies, but they hint at a power within the Shadow of the Wood that is nowhere explained.


See also...

Fangorn Forest

Indexes:

About this entry:

  • Updated 16 June 2016
  • This entry is complete

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